“We Sang as We Were Returning as if We Were at a Wedding!” How Syria Lived Its First Month with a New Government — A Report from The Insider

For the first time in 50 years, Syrians celebrated the New Year without the Assads. A month after the overthrow of one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, the country has largely returned to normal life. Immigrants have already begun to return to Syria, but it is difficult to call the situation calm yet. In the north, pro-Turkish groups are fighting with the Kurds, and the new government from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues to fight Assad supporters who have not laid down their arms. Religious and national minorities – Christians, Armenians and Alawites – are feeling anxious, fearing discrimination under the new government. The Insider spoke with residents of Syria about their moods and expectations.